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In the limelight

Monday, 22 September 2008

In early spring, the whole landscape seems cloaked with a fuzz of luminescent, lime-coloured leaves.

Oak trees, magnolias, murraya, buxus, tallowwood, maples, golden philadelphus and native daphne
(Pittosporum undulatum) are just some examples of these. The freshness of this foliage
seems to embody the very essence of spring. The colour blue with lime can be one of the most
pleasing combinations in the garden, and in spring these trees and shrubs can be under-planted
with bluebells, forget-me-nots, ajuga or cineraria to create a zesty picture. All shades of
purple flowers also provide winning combinations with lime leaves.

Lime-coloured flowers can also be found in early spring amongst the euphorbia tribe.
Shrubby Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii (ht 1m) with its startling
clusters of acidic lime-green bracts is amongst the best of these plants, thriving in
full sun and well-drained soil. With a background of limey spring leaves to echo its
bracts, or partnered by the huge architectural blue-purple spikes of frost-tender Pride
of Madeira (Echium candicans, ht 1-2 m), or a deep purple iris or lavender, it
is a stunning sight. The annual coral spurge (Euphorbia corallioides, ht 60cm)
also gives this wonderful colour: it is a rather naughty weed that tends to self-seed
enthusiastically, but it is easy to remove the surplus seedlings. Another annual with
lime-coloured flowers is the tobacco plant Nicotiana langsdorffii (ht 1m) which
has a multitude of small bells, and self-seeds gently from year to year.

Other lime-leaved plants retain their colour all year: many are actually brash, sun-loving,
golden-leaved plants, which transmute to a far more alluring shade of lime if grown in a
semi-shady position, where they can brighten up a gloomy spot. It is worth experimenting
with almost any gold-leaved plant to obtain this effect, but I have had success with
Acorus gramineus 'Ogon' (ht 30cm) with the softest green and gold striped grassy leaves);
ferny-leaved golden feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum, ht 60cm; golden moneywort
(Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea', ht 8cm); glossy-leaved, shrubby golden duranta
(Duranta erecta 'Sheena's Gold' (ht 3m or as pruned); gold-leaved zonal geraniums
such as 'Anne Tilling' (ht 30cm); golden heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens
'Aurea' (ht 75cm); or succulent Sedum mexicanum (ht 10cm) which forms a crinkled
carpet with its tiny leaves.

My Special Publications

"Growing Salvias in Sydney Gardens"

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